How to restrict access to a folder inside a team folder

Admins Updated Jan 06, 2026

In this article

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The feature described in this article is available to customers on Dropbox Standard, Advanced, Business, Business Plus, and Enterprise.


When you create a subfolder inside a team folder, it automatically inherits the same members as the parent folder. If you don't want specific people to access the subfolder, you can remove them to restrict access.

To change a member’s level of access to a shared folder (for example, from edit to view-only), learn how to set shared folder permissions.

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Notes:

  • You can only restrict access to folders that are inside a team folder.
  • You can't create a shared link to a restricted folder.
  • If you move files or subfolders out of the team folder, other team members will lose access to them.

How to restrict access to a folder

  1. Log in to dropbox.com.
  2. Hover over the shared folder you’d like to restrict and click  (more options).
  3. Click Manage permissions.
  4. Click the dropdown next to the person or group you’d like to remove.
  5. Click Remove.
  6. Click Remove again to confirm.

 

If you’re an admin, you can access all team folders from the admin console, even if you’re not a member of the folder.

 


To restrict access to a folder using the admin console:

  1. Log in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin console in the left sidebar.
  3. Under Products, click the dropdown to the left of Dropbox.
  4. Click Content.
  5. Navigate to the folder you’d like to restrict.
  6. Click  (more options) next to the folder you’d like to restrict.
  7. Select Manage Access.
  8. Click the dropdown next to the person or group.
  9. Click Remove, then click Remove again.
  1. Open the Dropbox folder in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
  2. Right-click the folder you’d like to restrict.
  3. Select Manage folder access next to the Dropbox icon.
  4. Click the dropdown next to the member you’d like to remove.
  5. Select Remove.
  6. Choose if you want to leave the person a copy of the shared folder.
  7. Click Remove again.

Android

  1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
  2. Tap  (more options) next to the folder you’d like to restrict.
  3. Tap Manage Access.
  4. Tap the area below [x] members.
  5. Tap the member or group you’d like to remove.
  6. Tap Remove member or Remove group.
  7. Tap Remove member or Remove group again to confirm.
     

iOS

  1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
  2. Tap  (more options) next to the folder you’d like to restrict.
  3. Tap Manage access.
  4. Tap the area below [x] members.
  5. Tap the member or group you’d like to remove.
  6. Tap Remove access.
  7. Tap Remove access again to confirm.

How to restrict access to a team folder for one team member

  1. Log in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin console in the left sidebar.
  3. Click Members.
  4. Click Manage Access next to the person you want to update.
  5. Check or uncheck team folders to change access.
  6. For checked team folders, select Can edit or Can view from the dropdown. 
  7. Click Apply.

How to restore parent folder members to a restricted folder

You can restore inherited access afrom the parent folder at any time. Once restored, the folder is no longer restricted.

To restore parent folder members:

  1. Log in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin Console in the left sidebar.
  3. Under Products, click the dropdown to the left of Dropbox.
  4. Click Content.
  5. Click  (more options) next to the folder and select Manage Access.
  6. Click  (share) at the top left.
  7. Click Share with everyone.
  8. Click Share to confirm.
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